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On Saturday, June 6, from 1 to 3pm the Asian American Resource Center will host a free screening of the American Experience documentary “Last Days in Vietnam.”

This film from Rory Kennedy examines the final days of American presence in Saigon and the heroic efforts to help evacuate 135,000 South Vietnamese

During the chaotic final days of the American involvement in the Vietnam War, South Vietnamese resistance crumbled. With thousands of lives hanging in the balance, those in control faced an impossible decision—who would go and who would be left behind. “Last Days in Vietnam” is currently nominated for a 2015 Academy Award® for Documentary Feature.

Food available for purchase. Doors open 12:30 p.m. Please plan on arriving early if you would like to purchase food. FREE Admission. AARC Ballroom

Join KLRU and The Austin History Center (AHC) for a special screening and discussion of the documentary Austin Revealed: Civil Rights Stories. The 30-minute film was made by Alpheus Media for KLRU and explores the issues of racial segregation and the civil rights movement in Austin. The screening will take place at the Austin History Center, 810 Guadalupe St., Saturday, August 9 at 2 PM. The event is free and open to the public. For more information call 512-974-7480 or visit library.austintexas.gov.

It’s been more than a year since the United States Supreme Court issued its ruling in Fisher v. University of Texas. If you’ve been following the story, you already know that ruling was a cliffhanger, more like the middle of a story than the end. Instead of announcing a final, unassailable decision, the Court made an unusual choice. The justices sent the case back to a lower court, ordering the 5th Circuit to take another look at the arguments and the facts.

On Tuesday afternoon, the 5th Circuit announced its decision, a 2-1 ruling that upholds the current system of admissionsat The University of Texas. That tells us how this chapter of the Fisher story ends. But we also know that the story continues – perhaps with a new appeal to the Supreme Court, and almost certainly with future lawsuits by other plaintiffs against other schools.

If you haven’t been following the case closely, here’s what you need to know. In 2008, a young woman named Abigail Fisher brought a lawsuit challenging the use of race in undergraduate admissions at The University of Texas. At the time,Fisher v. University of Texas was the latest in a long line of cases examining the use of race in university admissions – in California, in Michigan, and nationwide. It was also the third major case looking at the role of race and admissions at UT. Fisher’s case moved quickly through the district court, then reached the 5th Circuit; both upheld the university’s admissions policies. Fisher appealed to the US Supreme Court, which took the case and heard oral arguments in the fall of 2012.

In May of last year, KLRU aired a documentary called Admissions on Trial: Seven Decades of Race and Higher Education, an award-winning project that was co-produced by Villita Media and directed by Lynn Boswell. Our goal was to provide clear and unbiased context for the Fisher case by exploring the history of race and admissions at The University of Texas, and by examining the debate about race in admissions nationwide. Less than a month after our initial broadcast, the Supreme Court announced its decision in Fisher. Remanding the case to a lower court sent a clear signal that Fisher was not yet over, and a strong message that this story is one that will remain important for a long time to come.

In the year since Admissions on Trial first ran, this story has continued to develop rapidly. The Supreme Court upheld Michigan’s ban on affirmative action at state universities, which had been passed by voters as a constitutional amendment. Edward Blum and the Project on Fair Representation – backers of Abigail Fisher’s suit – have begun seeking plaintiffs to challenge admissions at three more universities. And people across the nation have continued to talk about many of the hottest hot-button questions surrounding higher education, including defining equality of access, ensuring that students who enroll in college graduate, and figuring out how students who are accepted to college can afford to attend.

These questions impact a wide variety of people: applicants and admissions officers; students and their parents; activists and university administrators; employers and society as a whole. People with a wide range of opinions have told us they believe questions about the role of race in admissions matter so much simply because education matters so much – as a door to opportunity and a foundation for life-long success. Fairness, we have been told, is crucial. The difference comes because the definition of that fairness can vary so widely.

KLRU plans to examine this latest development in the Fisher case with an updated documentary – a look at recent events and an exploration of what’s likely to come next as the debate about race-conscious admissions evolves. The project will include a website and lesson plans to expand the project’s impact and reach. We hope you’ll join us as we continue our work on this important topic.

We’d also like to share some news on a project we’ve been working on for a while. Based on the success of the web series and the positive feedback we’ve gotten, we’ll be developing BBQ with Franklin into a TV series. It will air on KLRU and be distributed nationally to PBS stations early next year. RetailMeNot www.retailmenot.com, the leading marketplace for digital coupons and deals, signed on to be the first sponsor of the TV series.

The TV show will be developed concurrently with the YouTube channel, which was launched in October 2012. The television program will explore the history and culture of BBQ while the online videos continue to focus on instruction. KLRU will work with Austin-based Rocket Science Video to help produce and direct the series.

On Thursday at 7pm, join KLRU and Texas PBS stations for an online discussion around the Secrets of the Dead special ONE PM CENTRAL STANDARD TIME.

George Clooney narrates the Season 13 premiere, which recalls how the JFK assassination was reported by journalists on the scene in Dallas and Walter Cronkite, who anchored CBS News’ coverage from New York. Included: the recollections of Dan Rather.

OVEE is a social screening platform for watching PBS programs together, from anywhere. Conversations that happen during an OVEE are enlightening and engaging.

Between the end of the Legislative special session and two Supreme Court rulings with major Texas ties, this has been a busy news week. As your public television station we feel it is our duty to be a source of trust worthy information so we are putting together a special news program called The Texas Rundown that will air Friday 6/28 at 7:30p recapping the news of the week.

On Tuesday, June 25th, Evan Smith will lead experts in a discussion revolving around the repercussions of Fisher v. Texas at the University of Texas and across the United States. Featured on the panel will be Justice Steven Wayne Smith. Smith represented Cheryl Hopwood in her successful suit against The University of Texas. Her case led to the Top 10% law and eliminated the use of race in admissions in the Fifth Circuit for nearly a decade. Other panelists include an admissions officer and law professor Gerald Torres, a leading figure in critical race theory.

The panel discussion will take place in KLRU studio 6A at 7pm. RSVP now

A new documentary produced by KLRU and journalist Lynn Boswell will explore questions of fairness, equality and what those words mean in university admissions nationwide.

To help fund production of this film, we are asking you to support our Indiegogo campaign. The goal of $25,000 will help with costs associated with travel, fact checking, research and use of archival materials. Funds raised through this campaign will directly support the production of this documentary.

There are great perks to thank you for your donation including an advance screening, panel & reception, as well as a private dinner. Supporting this effort shows you support quality journalism and public media.

Share, like and tweet about this project! More information can be found on our Indiegogo page.